Report alleges secret Israeli base was set up in Iraq's Anbar desert
A report has alleged that Israel established a secret military base in Iraq's Anbar province before the war with Iran, with the site used to support air operations.
The account says the facility hosted special forces and search-and-rescue units.
According to the report, the base was set up last February in the western Iraqi desert.
It says the arrangement was intended to deal with the possible downing of warplanes inside Iran.
The report says the site was not discovered by Iraqi security agencies but by a shepherd who noticed unusual helicopter movements and gunfire and reported it.
That prompted Iraqi forces to launch an urgent investigation.
It also says Israeli strikes later killed one Iraqi soldier.
Iraqi officials questioned the circumstances of the incident and one military figure said the operation was carried out without coordination or approval.
The allegation is significant because it points to covert military activity in western Iraq and to a possible role for Iraqi territory in wider regional operations.
